Interviews

97.1 Seconds With Chromeo

Related Tags:

‘97.1 Seconds With’ is a feature here on ampradio.com where we do quick fire questions with some of your favorite artists.

We’ve started a new feature here on ampradio.com, called 97.1 Seconds With!

It’s a fun little segment where we chat with your favorite artists, but ask them maybe some not so serious questions?

You’ll find out what guilty pleasures they have, what their spirit animal is, and all sorts of things that don’t really matter all that much, but are super fun to know.

Our first episode is with none other than the Funk Lordz themselves, Chromeo!

Watch the video above to see the shenanigans, and then check out some of the more serious questions below.

—–

How is the vibe different at the huge festivals you’re playing compared to your own tour?

Of course, headline shows in smaller rooms are more intimate. You can feel the crowd, jump in the audience, feel the sweat. It’s much more personal. But festivals have this really cool transcendent vibe. When everybody is clapping and singing, it gets really kumbaya. Not everyone necessarily knows who you are (at a festival). So both are great for different reasons. Headline shows are great for the die hards. Festivals are great to get new fans. But now we’re lucky enough to have a lot of die hards at festivals too.

How does it feel to hear your song on the radio?

We thought there would be some kind of backlash. But it’s the contrary. We took almost 10 years to build a solid underground foundation. We did everything, all the credible steps that a band could take. Putting out vinyl, getting remixes, working with the right people. And basically showing that this is going to come when its right. But we’re not chasing a hit. When our fans hear us on the radio, or new people hear us on the radio and learn about us, it’s like the underdog made it. So everybody is actually really proud and supportive. And they feel like its a victory for them as well. Instead of feeling betrayed by their band. Theyr’e like “HA HA! I’ve loved Chromeo for 10 years, and I was right!” We didn’t change the music to get there. That’s the crucial part. Jealous is the most Chromeo song ever!

Tell us about your forthcoming album, White Women.

There was a lot of time spent on vocal arranging, production, chord productions, song writing. Our music is really pop-y and light hearted. But on this record, we worked on it in a very disciplined and cerebral way. And the beauty of it is that it doesn’t show. The harder you work on stuff, if you do it well, it seems effortless. It’s like bed head. You spend half an hour styling your hair to make it look like you haven’t washed it in months. That’s the perfect analogy for our record. We feel its the quintessential Chromeo album and our most rewarding artistic accomplishment to date.

Did you grow up listening to funk and disco? Watch the video below for their answer about where they found their sound!

How do you make such flawlessly modern, yet disco centric music?

We’re not trying to make a 70’s record. That would be boring. You’re never going to be as good as those old records, for what they were. What we’re doing now is that we’re taking that influence, but we blend it with EDM, with rap, with the sonics and humor that we have today. And that’s what makes it modern and interesting. The subject matter has changed since the 70’s. We always say it’s a dialogue between two eras.